The Gift of Brothers

Here's the lineup from oldest to youngest: Jason, Sarah, Adam, Elizabeth, Rebecca.
Growing up I never had any real idea how incredible it is to have brothers. Maybe I had some idea, but I ignored it because, well... boys are stinky. :)
Jason and Adam, my brothers, were so different growing up. Their interests and attitudes left one wondering how we were all related. Over the years it became clear that Jason was a rebel (without a cause- hehe- like Becca) and Adam was more of a rule follower like Sarah & I.

My memories of Jason are spotted with his constant desire to be treated as an adult, but his complete inability to actually act like one. :) Jason and his friends stayed up late, played their own instruments, and had an affection for all things related to break dancing. Did I mention Jason is a product of the 80s? :)
I can remember when Kristen would call the house looking for me Jason would say hold on, not move a muscle, then get back on and say I was not home. She always knew he had not gotten up from where he was parked. There was a period of time he allowed Sarah into his world, and she hung out with the boys late at night in Jason's room. I was soooo envious! Of course I was waaaaay too young to a) be up that late, and b) be hanging out with these older kids. There was a mystery connected to Jason. Where did he go during the day? hahaha. I'm half kidding. :)
Over the years Jason began to transform into the man he is today. He moved himself away from Dallas to Colorado, which probably saved his life. He works hard and is dedicated to the things and people he loves.
Jason is the kind of man you want for every single woman you know. He is so gentle in spirit, humble, generous, and compassionate. He is a deep feeler, and I am overjoyed at the chance to know this part of him as adults.
At Rebecca's rehearsal dinner we all sat together laughing about the many many stupid stunts Jason pulled over the years. In fact, we were probably laughing too loud. :) He is so gracious to be the butt of our jokes and allow us to tease him mercilessly. The joy for me is now I'm old enough to be at the big kid table getting a rise out of him with the best of them! We have become friends in our adulthood, and it is so exciting!
I admire Jason's drive to create beautiful things. I love Jason's heart for the people he cares about. I hope to be as loyal as he is to those around me. Above all else I hope that love as big as Jason's is multiplies and is shared with more and more people.
There really isn't a better feeling than to know that your brother loves you.

Adam, the younger of the two, is older than me as well. I have two big brothers. :) Growing up Adam was much more quiet and introverted than the rest of us. On occasion he would get really upset with us and we'd hear about it, but he spent a lot of his time observing. Memories of Adam surround our summers in Michigan, and Christmas morning when he and I would be the only ones up. Michigan was filled with adventures for Adam, and he was not always interested in his little sister tagging along. Oh how I wanted to be with the boys! (a theme?haha) They were going on, what I believed was, exotic bike rides through the woods. Come to find out later they were headed up the road to the convenient store for candy, but I would have loved that just as much!
Christmas morning is a big deal in our house. My parents would go all out, and especially Mom. She would decorate the entire house top to bottom in Christmas decor. Think Griswalds. Eventually Adam got on board and started adding items to our front yard. At one point I believe you could have seen our house from the interstate 10 miles away. Mom loved his efforts and I believe loved that she had passed on her crazy love of the holidays to at least one of her kiddos. Adam's birthday is the 27th of December, so naturally it should be him. :) Each year, poor guy, he'd get the dreaded combo gift. Christmas and birthday in one gift. How lame, huh? He never complained, though.
I remember when Adam went off to college at UT- anytime he came home we ate whatever her requested. Mom had a special affection for her Adam... we all knew. :)
As an adult Adam has been a constant in our lives. He has been dependable beyond words. He and his best friends from childhood renovated and updated Mom's entire house this year. What a task! It was a thankless job at times, but they kept on truckin.
Adam's coworkers adore him, and he, like Jason, received the work ethic of our parents.
I love Adam's sense of humor and willingness to laugh at himself. It was not always that way, but as we've gotten older we all have softened and been able to see the humor in ourselves. Adam has the best laugh of anyone in the family. It is infectious and makes the rest of us crack up. He has a very sensitive heart, though he will cringe at that being printed here. :)
There is a steadfastness to Adam that is so appreciated. He travels all over the place week to week for work, but when we all get together at home he is always there.

This year our Christmas will be different. Our first without Mom. We have yet to decide where we'll have Christmas morning and what we'll do. Our tradition is to have a large breakfast, open gifts, hang around, then go to my Grandma's for dinner at 4pm. What will we do this year? I picture Adam cooking, Jason spinning Jake around, and the rest of us filling in the little gaps where we can.
Our biggest challenge without Mom is to stick together. She was the epicenter of our family and the check-in point for all of us. Without her we are left to step up to the plate and commit to our family in a new way.

My prayer is that our relationships with one another continue to grow and strengthen. I hope that we can establish a new Christmas holiday that is just as filled with laughter and love as the ones with Mom.

The men in my family are just that- great men. Can you imagine all these years with all this estrogen only?! sheesh! That would be interesting, to say the least. Jason, Adam, and Dad have always kept the score balanced, and I am thankful beyond words that I've been so blessed. Not everyone has brothers and sisters, but I do and the love we share is strong and loyal. Praise God!
Have I mentioned lately that I love my family and think they're the absolute best? Cause I do.